Movie Type: Psychological Thriller, Crime Thriller
Themes: Murder Investigations, Twins and Lookalikes
Main Cast: Olivia de Havilland, Olivia de Havilland, Lew Ayres, Thomas Mitchell, Richard Long, Charles Evans
Release Year: 1946
Country: US
Run Time: 85 minutes
Plot
Olivia De Havilland, with the assistance of some eye-popping special photographic effects, plays twins in The Dark Mirror. One twin commits a murder: The "good" twin is blamed, but provides no alibi in her own defense, since she can't believe that the "bad" twin is guilty. Psychologist Lew Ayres and detective Thomas Mitchell try to get to the truth, a task made difficult by the bad twin's habit of imitating her sister to perfection. Ayres solves the mystery and sorts out which twin is which, but not before nearly ending up on a slab in the morgue himself. Based on a novel by Vladimir Pozner (the same), The Dark Mirror was remade for television in 1984, with Jane Seymour in the lead--er, leads. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
The Dark Mirror is a superior entry in the "good twin, evil twin" subgenre. Actors, of course, love the chance to play twins, for the obvious reason that doing so really gives them a chance to strut their stuff. In Mirror, Olivia de Havilland takes full advantage of the opportunity, turning in a tour-de-force performance (or perhaps it's a pair of such performances) that is a delight to behold. De Havilland was one of the finest actresses of the '40s, perfectly capable of playing both roles suffused with sweetness and light and those with a tougher, more aggressive tone to them. In Mirror she gets to do both, meeting the challenge effortlessly; she also handles the more difficult job of keeping the audience guessing as to which character is which for much of the early part of the film. Indeed, de Havilland deserves the lion's share of the credit for Mirror's success, as the screenplay has dated somewhat over the years. Its basic structure is still sound and much of the dialogue and characterization is solid, but the script's psychological underpinnings are a bit simplistic. And while the twins' habit of wearing necklaces with their respective names on them is helpful, it comes across as more than a bit bizarre. This is one of the rare slips in Robert Siodmak's otherwise assured and effective direction (another slip being Dimitri Tiomkin's occasionally over-sprightly music accompanying early parts of the investigation). The Dark Mirror also boasts a very solid supporting cast, with especially fine work from Thomas Mitchell and Lew Ayres. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Garry Owen - Franklin; Lester Allen - George Benson; Lela Bliss - Mrs. Didriksen; Marta Mitrovich - Miss Beade, Secretary to Dr. Peralta; Amelita Ward - Photo Double; Jean Andren - District Attorney's Secretary; Rodney Bell - Fingerprint Man; Lane Chandler - Intern; Jack Cheatham - Policeman; Ben Erway - Police Lieutenant; Jack Gargan - Waiter; William Halligan - Sgt. Temple; Ida Moore - Mrs. O'Brien; Ralph Peters - Dumb Policeman; Lane Watson - Mike, Assistant; Barbara Powers - Girl; Charles McAvoy - O'Brien, Janitor
Credit
Irene Sharaff - Costume Designer, Robert Siodmak - Director, Ernest Nims - Editor, Dimitri Tiomkin - Composer (Music Score), Norbert Miles - Makeup, Duncan Cramer - Production Designer, Milton Krasner - Cinematographer, Nunnally Johnson - Producer, Hugh Hunt - Set Designer, Devereaux Jennings - Special Effects, Paul K. Lerpae - Special Effects, Arthur Johns - Sound/Sound Designer, Fred Lau - Sound/Sound Designer, Nunnally Johnson - Screenwriter, Vladimir Pozner - Screenwriter, Vladimir Pozner - Book Author
The Dark Mirror (1946) is a black-and-white psychological thriller film directed by Robert Siodmak, starring Olivia de Havilland as a pair of twins, and Lew Ayres as their psychiatrist. The film marks Ayres' return to motion pictures following his conscientious objection to service in World War II. De Havilland had begun to experiment with method acting at the time and insisted that everyone in the cast meet with a psychiatrist. The film anticipates producer/screenwriter Nunnally Johnson's psycho-docu-drama The Three Faces of Eve. Vladimir Pozner's original story on which the film is based was nominated for an Academy Award.
This psychological thriller tells the story of a pair of identical twins, one loving and nice and the other severely disturbed. A doctor is killed and witnesses identify one of the twins as the person seen having a quarrel with the victim shortly before his death. A detective investigating the case cannot determine which twin did the killing since each can provide an alibi for the other. The cops ask for assistance from a doctor who studies twins to help crack the case.
Critical reaction
The film today receives mixed reviews but praise almost always goes to Robert Siodmark's capable direction.
